Houston Mom Accused Of Abusing Toddler Because She Was Jealous of Him

Lessielee Ann King was arrested Tuesday (Jan. 22) on suspected child abuse after the child’s father got home from work, and saw bite marks on his cheeks.

King attests that she was merely sucking and chewing on her 1-year-old son’s cheeks but didn’t mean to bite him. However, the child’s father had an audio recording of King saying that she thought he only loved the child and not her.

The baby’s father told investigators with the Humble Police Department that he grew concerned after finding various unexplained bruises on his little boy’s body. The father said the bruises only surfaced when King was alone with him, so that made him suspicious.

The father said on September 18, 2012, there were no bruises on his son when he put the baby to bed. But when he arrived home from work the next morning, he discovered a bite mark on the baby’s right cheek.

That wasn’t the first time the child sustained such injuries, the father said.

Scared to leave his son alone with King, the child’s father had a friend move in with the family to help prove his suspicions. The friend allegedly saw the mother slap the toddler “too hard” on the face, arms, and legs.

The boy’s paternal grandmother told authorities that she saw bruises on the child’s thigh, and learned that King was beating him with a hard-soled sandal. The grandmother never reported the incident.

According to family members of the boy’s father, King has issues with anger management.

King was booked into Harris County jail, and charged with “Injury To A Child Under 15 Years Old, Bodily Injury.” She is being held on $5,000 bail.